Mob's Independent Christmas Gift Guide

Have you done your Christmas shopping yet? No? Planning on doing a big panic buy on the 24th of December? Well, don't. There are better ways to shop – ways that won't leave you sweaty and stressed and at the mercy of whatever Habitat has got on sale. Luckily for you, we're here to help you find the perfect gift this Christmas.

We don't just want to direct you to your bog-standard big producers. We want to show some love to small, independent food and beverage brands this Christmas and direct you to some of our fave products. If you're stuck on what to buy for someone that's really into their food and drink, this is the Christmas gift guide for you. It's full of Sophie's favourite boxed wine, Jordon's hot sauce of choice, and Orla's friendly neighbourhood coffee roasters. The best thing of all is that you don't even have to give us any credit. You can take it all for yourself and be extremely smug.

Welcome to Mob's independent Christmas gift guide.

"Whisky Me is the ultimate gift for the whisky enthusiast in your life. Drams of the greatest whiskies in the world dropped through your letterbox without the expense or risk of buying a full bottle. Independently run by founders Thomas Aske and Tristan Stephenson - the OG’s of the drinking space - this is a whisky club for the curious with a community feel and a rewards scheme that will make you want to stick about for the long run. Their 6 and 12-month subscription gift boxes come with a free dram to get you started, plus get an extra 10% off using code MOB10 at checkout. Valid until 18th December. Go get yours!" – Tina Bozorgi, Project Manager

"The Beaujolais bagnums from the good people of Le Grappin are an excellent gift for any wine lover. Light-bodied and fruity, this red wine is a lovely easy drinker for the Christmas season. The eco-friendly packaging keeps it fresh for longer, and who doesn’t love the novelty of pouring your wine from a tap." – Sophie Wyburd, Head of Food

"Common Sanity's seasonal hot pepper sauces are made in East London using chillies grown in England during the short summer months. Fermenting, pickling and preserving those precious rays of sunshine away for you to enjoy all year." – Jordon King, Food Producer

"These cute candles from Wax / Wine are the perfect gifts for the natty wine lovers in your life. Made from repurposed wine bottles, these candles can come adorned in a range of different snazzy natural wine labels and a host of flavours including eucalyptus and cedarwood; lavender and sage; cinnamon and sweet orange; and ylang-ylang and neroli. They smell good, they look good, and you can personalise them with an engraved message. Job done." – Lucas Oakeley, Senior Content Editor

"Panettone season is the highlight of my year! Kouttone Panettone are hand made in South London by pastry chef and panettone master Cem Altinsoy. He only makes a limited batch, including flavours such as pistachio and chestnut milk chocolate, so get them while you can!" – Emma Dragovcic, Graphic Designer

"This Clapton-based roastery makes banging beans to take your morning coffee to the next level whilst keeping sustainability at their core. Beginning as a street van in Peckham, they now sell 10/10 flat whites at my beloved Greenwich market alongside packs of their specialty roasts. Mission Coffee Works also just partnered with Coffee Advent to create an advent calendar made up of 25 unique coffees all from independent roasteries – the perfect early Christmas present!" – Orla Wilkinson, Insights Manager

"Sylt Pickling was started by a small team of 3 in the summer of 2020. These guys do really banging flavoured pickling fluids – 5 flavours in total and they all absolutely slap. I put some grilled peppers in the scotch bonnet and lemon pickle fluid and it was just dreamy. Perfect for the conscious chef looking to cut down on food waste. They do a kit featuring all the flavours for 12 pounds, perfect for secret Santa budgets." – Jack Parton, Events Manager